Street Diary on ESPN.com

by JLeverenz on Jun 1, 2005 9:45 AM PDT Comment 75 comments

Apparently ESPN.com has swiped an idea from Blez and will have Huston Street post periodic diaries on the site. In his first diary he talks about what it's like to be a closer and how he handles the pressure. It's all stuff that I don't recall reading or hearing from other closers before, so it's nice to hear a fresh perspective and new comments about the job. In particular I like how he describes pressure as essentially an emotion and how he can control it by controlling his mind. I think he removes any possible lingering doubt about whether he can handle the ninth inning.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=street_huston&id=2073394

I'm not sure if this is an Insider article or not, I saw 2 links, one with the Insider logo by it, the other without.

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jennifer posted a link as well

it's a great read. if we had any doubts that he's mature for his age, this has definitely put it to rest. it's a great feeling as a fan knowing that not only is he extremely talented but appears to have a great head on his shoulders. which is also a good-looking head, but that's a whole other point.

monday's game against the drays was further proof of his toughness. his velocity was down to begin with, he gave up a hit and he looked like he had to do some of his deep breathing. instead of getting more tired, he appeared to get stronger the more he pitched and the more we needed him to step up. a sign of great things to come (knock on wood).

by nycfan on Jun 1, 2005 10:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

congrats

it was an interesting and mature article. The idea for trevor hoffmans hells bells came from the walk up music diary by jlaff, right? Its great to see the A's get some headlines, and to see AN grow.

by SwishMix on Jun 1, 2005 10:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

loved it

He seems mature beyond his years.

I'm not embarrassed to admit that I smile like a fool when he comes out to pitch. He's that much fun to watch. I'm sure there are others who feel the same way.

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 10:23 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

<raises hand>

Ditto.

I could watch him for hours. Sometimes I don't even notice when he gives up a run.

And that little "skid mark" he makes?

<sigh>

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"skid mark"

You are a dirty, dirty girl.

Shame on you.

"First of all, I'm not calm about it. Every time they lose, I freak out." - Andy Painter

by secret ASian man on Jun 1, 2005 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stop.

http://catfishstew.baseballtoaster.com/archives/160689.html

"skid mark"

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

excellent link

Interesting about the skid mark. I don't quite get it, but I guess the release is closer to the plate. That might explain why his stuff looks okay on TV, but is devastating live. As opposed to Haren's stuff, which to me looks nasty even at home.

by Apricot on Jun 1, 2005 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know

I was just joking.

Johan Santana is another pitcher with the foot skid.

"First of all, I'm not calm about it. Every time they lose, I freak out." - Andy Painter

by secret ASian man on Jun 1, 2005 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

His mind set

is something I have been speaking of since the year began. Remember all the folks saying he wasn't ready? That he did'nt have the mind set? The maturity? Just because he is only 21 years of age does not mean he isn't capable of handling himself on the mound in the big leagues, fifth inning or ninth.

Good point shared by me, nycfan, about Street getting us the win with his velocity below normal and still keeping it together by making his pitches. So props to our boy "Texas Tea".

Anybody else have a nickname for him yet?

by mrod on Jun 1, 2005 10:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

he doesn't need one

huston street sounds like a better nickname than 95% of the current nicknames for baseball players.

by xbhaskarx on Jun 1, 2005 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's a terrific baseball name

though in new york everyone is like "huston street? like the road? what the hell is that?"

by nycfan on Jun 1, 2005 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

they'll know soon enough

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Better "road" than "Rhodes"

by monkeyball on Jun 1, 2005 7:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

If the rest of the team starts calling him "Hustie" or "Streetie" I will kill them. Every single one of them.

Reason #2,594 on why we like Huston Street:
His name is Huston Street

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

or the typical

"H Street" or some such nonsense...

these days most nicknames are the players initials, not very creative.

by xbhaskarx on Jun 1, 2005 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't mind as much

Huddy, Chavy, JD, DJ, OD, I'm okay with it. They are boring at times. I just think it's impossible to find a nickname cooler than Huston's given name. Why ruin a good thing?

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

For the Buffy fans out there

HST

by oblique on Jun 2, 2005 8:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"The rally stops here"

... or, for that matter, Harry S Truman fans ...

by monkeyball on Jun 2, 2005 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maturity?

How do you define things like this? Thats the problem with saying, "Streetie doesnt have the maturity to play with the big club." It seems some players never "mature". He pitched his way onto the team in SP. Good for him. And good for the coaches not to buy into this "maturity" BS.

His article is well written and well thought out. If we have guys like him define what it means to be an "A", then we are in better shape than our AL West record.

"It makes you not want to play, when you know you are going to get beat." -Twins manager Ron Gardenhire

by Parklife on Jun 1, 2005 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"streetie"?

by xbhaskarx on Jun 1, 2005 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

as someone once said of montana

"forget about a nickname let's give him a real name."

"The difference between Jose Canseco and Kobe Bryant is that Kobe doesn't believe in giving his teammates any shots." -Jay Leno

by vignette17 on Jun 1, 2005 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

or how about......

"The Human Tongue"?

by mrod on Jun 1, 2005 10:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

ROFL

Yeah, I've taken so many pictures of him and I'm thinking, "Can I get just one picture where his tongue is in his mouth?!"

by almostreggie on Jun 1, 2005 11:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

STOP!

Bad thoughts...

NO!

I won't go there. Let's keep it family oriented.

But I do wonder how much ChapStick he must use...

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

admit it...

You've been having bad thoughts since April.

:P <---- That's Huston.

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He reminds me of my dog.

Always has his tongue out.

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

except...

Huston holds his to the side. Good boy!

by mrod on Jun 1, 2005 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is this one better?

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

awwwwww

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Funny story.

My chocolate Lab is named Ozzy. When we got our yellow Lab my mother suggested we name it Sharon.

I swear.

I almost wet myself laughing. We decided to name her Sadie instead.

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't consider Jose?

"Look what we did!"

by ArakSOT on Jun 1, 2005 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No.

But Harriet was considered. We usually call her Satan.

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

heehee

Some would find that offensive, but I adore dogs.

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

well, if you ever meet him

make sure you tell him he reminds you of your dog :)

All joking aside, I like your dog.

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I meet him

and all I have to talk about is my dog, someone shoot me. Immediately.

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you meet him

and can even manage to utter a word...

Although, I imagine you woud have that silly grin plastered to your face. He might find that a little weird.

You should practice speaking to your dog. It would be similar to talking to Huston, right?

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2005 11:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Should I put some treats in my pocket?

Oz likes Pup Corn.

by Jennifer on Jun 1, 2005 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here you go...

by almostreggie on Jun 1, 2005 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you.

It's not even noon here and I've had a very crappy morning. That made me smile. Do you have any more? :P j/k

by Jennifer on Jun 2, 2005 8:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, but not on my person

I'll try to post another when I get back to my home computer later today!

by almostreggie on Jun 2, 2005 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sharon:

I'm a dog lover too! We have sooooo much in common. If you want to see a picture of my dog, Poochini, go to www.pemantle.com (where you can also see what the father of your 3 1/2 children look like).

: - }

P.S. There should really be an AN "yahoo group" where people can post photos of themselves, as well as their pets (and their children, too, if they MUST).

Nico

by Nico on Jun 1, 2005 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jennifer:

Your dogs are adorable!!! I had labs all my life until my current beagle-mix, and I am very partial to retrievers in general. (My favorite retriever, of course, being Mark Kotsay!)

Nico

by Nico on Jun 1, 2005 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My dog

is the most adorable Hound-Blue healer mix in the world! At least, that's what I think she is. Anyway, she is the best dog I've had.

independencefieldsac.org
Please help disabled kids in Sacramento play baseball by helping the Rivercats build a specially equipped field for them.

by kaweahkaweah on Jun 1, 2005 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I had a doggie....

His name was Zito. He was a husky from Alaska, but he died last year. ::sigh:: It was right around the time where Zito was doing his worst, too....

Go to the site... I'll love Zito forever! :)
www.myspace.com/greenandgoldpride

by GreenNGoldGirl on Jun 1, 2005 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just checked out your site:

Cool man, so you were like Robert Buan before there was a Robert Buan? :)

by saint on Jun 1, 2005 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but I'd like to think

my voice was a tad less irritating... : --> }

Nico

by Nico on Jun 1, 2005 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

OOPS, just realized that

in the "bio" section you'll see a picture of my dead dog, Gino (and older pics of me). Gino was an awesome dog, though.

In the "Cellular Banana" section (click on the banana icon) I'm pretty sure there's pictures of my living dog, Poochini (and more recent pics of me).

Nico

by Nico on Jun 1, 2005 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Crap,

I checked my site and can't find a picture of Poochini anywhere (bad dog!). There's a picture of him in the sleeve of the CD and I thought it was on the web site, but I was wrong. Sorry about that; you'll have to settle for Gino, who had wee paws (for station identification).

Nico

by Nico on Jun 1, 2005 3:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dog pictures

Heres an older picture of my almost 2 year old dog:

California here I come, right back where I started from, Californiaaaaa, Californiaaaaa, here I coooooome (June 24th). (OC, i was inspired)

by ohad on Jun 2, 2005 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure why that didn't work

It's supposed to be:

except without that last space before the > right?

California here I come, right back where I started from, Californiaaaaa, Californiaaaaa, here I coooooome (June 24th). (OC, i was inspired)

by ohad on Jun 2, 2005 12:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

< img src="url">

remove the space after the <. Make sure you have it hosted on the 'net.

by Jennifer on Jun 2, 2005 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha!

I knew that one would get a rise out of you ladies! "Hold 'em"

by mrod on Jun 1, 2005 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh Noes.

I think we have another Zito type character on this team. Pressure is a product of that which does not pressure... Or something like it.

Thanks for the link, it was a really good read! He's a good writer, but then again, he was majoring in English so he better be good ;)

by Melody on Jun 1, 2005 12:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He does sound like Zito!

Some of the things he said, and he really is a good writer. (I didn't know he was an English major)
Great read.

When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ~Author Unknown.

by AsGirl on Jun 1, 2005 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

English

I got that information from here: Texas Sports. It's the very last sentence on the page.

Although in the "Meet a Longhorns" section of the UT site, his academic interest is listed as Psychology... But that makes perfect sense, if you think about it.

by Melody on Jun 1, 2005 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely...

It sure beats: "I'm finally in the major leagues. It is fun. It is more than I ever expected. The guys are great. The team is great. I love baseball."

Very nice read, indeed.

Eric Chavez: The last former Huntsville Star with the A's...

by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jun 1, 2005 1:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was thinking the same

Very Zito-esque.
Sounds really really smart. Now that's hot!

by SportySpice on Jun 1, 2005 1:39 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

You took the mind right out of my thoughts.

Go to the site... I'll love Zito forever! :)
www.myspace.com/greenandgoldpride

by GreenNGoldGirl on Jun 1, 2005 5:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wait... no!

You took the thoughts right out of my mind. There we go. :)

Go to the site... I'll love Zito forever! :)
www.myspace.com/greenandgoldpride

by GreenNGoldGirl on Jun 1, 2005 5:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, that was well written and thought out, looks

like he actually paid attention in his english classes.

I took a torpedo through the lower abdomen while on patrol in the north Atlantic. They replaced my entire bowel with hemp. Clogs easily. -Loyd Bridges

by robber23 on Jun 1, 2005 1:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if Zito

I wonder if Zito can "go deep" with Street?

by matthias on Jun 1, 2005 2:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Is that like "Gleeman on Blanton"?

Now who's got their mind in the gutter?

by monkeyball on Jun 1, 2005 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

After reading that I have two words:

Octavio Who?

by saint on Jun 1, 2005 2:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

lol`

in a couple years, we can forget isringhausen,koch,foulke,dotel even existed.

Fingers-Eck-Street

by stabino on Jun 1, 2005 4:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow.

I am so in love. As a lit major, there's nothing I love like a well written piece -- if the future All-Star closer thing doesn't work out, he definitely should try and give Michael Lewis a run for his money. That's an awesome first paragraph. "My job is to shatter that dream."

Nice to know we've got such an articulate dude on the team. Every day, seems like he's showing more and more why he's on the team, with both his actions on and off the field.

Definitely a bit Zito-esque, and most certainly more articulate than I'm used to seeing from baseball players. Maybe ESPN ripped off Blez, but I'm rather happy to have another source to read about this kid. "Ultimately, a closer is a symbol of trust." I think that he's certainly going to be a symbol of trust to the fans -- maybe soon the pain of Rhodes will fade from our minds, with this kid clearing it all away.

Now it's time to get him some saves.

by Kyli on Jun 1, 2005 8:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Text is "massaged"

If it's not ghost-written (in the "as-told-to-X-by-Y" sense), it's at least heavily edited.

Not that I'm implying that Street can't express himself well.

But it reads like a cross between a press release and a diary. No one writes like that on their own. It's been heavily scrubbed by the espn.com copy gnomes.

by monkeyball on Jun 1, 2005 9:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know

Have you read some of the stuff they allow to be published on ESPN.com?

I think its all Street.

by Alien on Jun 2, 2005 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Finally

some words of wisdom from the 'Legacy'(his college nickname). Now if we could just get more photo shots we, the ladies, would truly appreciate it. I agree with Jennifer, I could watch him for hours and he doesn't even have to do anything :) As for a nickname I just think of him as Stud!!!

hookem street

by hookem street on Jun 1, 2005 10:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

according to the Tribune

street's agent suggested it and he had to submit a piece for approval or something. he's going to be doing 30 in total?! that seems like a ton.

does anyone feel like he sold AN out to espn? not that i could ever love him any less, but it would've been nice to have him post here. oh well, gotta love swish even more for agreeing to do a follow up.

by nycfan on Jun 2, 2005 8:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Sell out???

Yes and no. I think Street's agent is just trying to generate more pub for him. It sounds like the diaries he is doing for espn are about his opinions and views; whereas the one's he could do for AN would be on a more personal level. Hunt this guy down Blez and get him into AN. Use your pull to have him post for us.

hookem street

by hookem street on Jun 2, 2005 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sell Out?

The last thing AN needs to do is jump Street. He writes for ESPN. He is reaching more people and promoting the team and himself. The 30 articles sounds like plenty. It only makes me wonder why the rest of the team isnt handing out interviews. Really, does C. Thomas have anything to do?

"It makes you not want to play, when you know you are going to get beat." -Twins manager Ron Gardenhire

by Parklife on Jun 2, 2005 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs